/vr/ - Retro Games

[Anonymous No.1357067]

This controller gets a lot of shit talked about it. Does anyone else actually like the N64 controller? I always find myself defending it to everyone. I found it to be one of the most creative controllers Nintendo ever had. And it had tons of sweet colors.

Fact: the joystick is shit. But the analog stick and camera buttons really standardized 3D gameplay. Personally, I have modded my controllers with aftermarket joysticks or cannabalized sticks from other gamepads.

Still, the D-Pad was great, and it was a very versatile controller. If you aren't an oaf with this thing, it will last. I still have controllers with good joysticks from 1998 because I didn't abuse them.

Who will defend the trident controller with me?

inb4 you need 3 hands to play

[Anonymous No.1357079]

besed hori ownz

[Anonymous No.1357082]

>>1357067
Fukken love it. Seriously never understood why ANYONE had a beef with it. It was glorious. Still my favourite controller to this day. I bought a smoke one last year to match a system I picked up.

Playing Goldeneye using the control setups that required two controllers in single player campaign was fucking GOTYAY

[Anonymous No.1357087]

>>1357079
I think that's a given. Too bad these guys are $60+
Standard controller is still not as bad as its reputation.

[Anonymous No.1357094]

I loved it until the joystick would get so broken it would fucking wobble back and fourth. And a that time i don't remember them selling replacements you had to buy a whole new controller.

[Anonymous No.1357096]

>>1357082
The only reason anyone could like it is if they had tiny fucking hands.

Otherwise you have to hold it in some terribly unnatural and uncomfortable way and it's goddamn terrible.

One of the worst controllers ever.

BEGIN NON-/vr/ SECTION
Surpassed by Nintendo themselves with the goddamn fucking shitass oh my god what the FUCK where they thinking with this garbage Wii.
END NON-/vr/ SECTION

[Anonymous No.1357098]

Yeah I usually jump in
>nintendo didn't know 3d was going to kick off like it did
>3rd parties fault for not taking advantage of the d-pad when it was the most obvious choice
etc

[Anonymous No.1357102]

>>1357098
This makes me want to take a NSFW pic of me using all the directional inputs at once.

[Anonymous No.1357107]

>joystick
>rumble pak
>Z-trigger
>transfer pak
>2D and 3D gameplay

The innovations this controller brought easily overshadow the drawbacks. It's tough, but not impossible for adults to use. Huge handed gorillas can always hold the left handle and use the joystick reaching over. or get hori minipad. GCN controller is still tops tho

[Anonymous No.1357150]

It's a comfy controller. If you have one in good shape, lightly grease the grind points inside the stick construction. There's a guide somewhere with pictures. Mine is very quiet and feels great now.

[Anonymous No.1357153]

Not at all, I think it's a great controller. The only bad thing about it is that analog stick liked to grind down. But ergonomically, design-wise, etc., it's excellent.

[Anonymous No.1357169]

I only play the AKI wrestling games, which were built very specifically to the N64 hardware including the control scheme. It feels so natural I can't imagine playing them any other way.

[Anonymous No.1357176]

It looks weird, but when you use it, it's totally fine.

The logic behind it was that you'd use the d-pad and the outer grip for 2D games, and the analog stick and the inner grip for 3D games. And you'd use the Z button instead of the L button

Granted, it was pretty small, and the analog stick was pretty shitty. The Gamecube controller substantially improved it, and it's one of my favorite controllers.

[Anonymous No.1357180]

>>1357107
>implying Nintendo was the first to do any of those things, yes even the transfer pak

[Anonymous No.1357187]

It's my favorite controller behind the gamecube. It was the most comfortable thing at the time and all the buttons were in different places/different sizes so you instinctively knew which was which.

[Anonymous No.1357223]

>>1357176
The middle grip is fucking awkward as hell though. A more conventional design like the Hori controller is a lot easier to use.

[Anonymous No.1357272]

I remember being so used to playing console FPS games on the N64 controller that when I tried playing a dual analog shooter on the PS1 I actually had a hard time controlling the character.

[Anonymous No.1357276]

its got one of the worst joysticks ever. even when it works it works like shit, but that's hardly a problem because more often than not they dont. i have more n64 controllers with broken joysticks than any other console pad

[Anonymous No.1357293]

>>1357098
>two left hands

freak.

[Anonymous No.1357304]

>>1357272
I think most people who played video games up through the introduction of dual-stick shooters experienced something similar at some point.

[Anonymous No.1357313]

>>1357067
The is the only controller worth playing Ocarina of time on.

I like the sort of physical switch you had to make from using the D pad to using the Analogue stick too. I can see why it's impractical, but it was kind of like changing your stance for different situations.

Also Asymetrical controllers are just more fun. Another reason why the Wii Mote Nunchuck combination is one of my favorites.

[Anonymous No.1357320]

it's objectively a solid controller. literally, it has a defined mass and shape

[Anonymous No.1357330]

Its genuinely my 2nd favourite controller ever, after gamecube. The normal complaints of "oh I can't reach the buttons" are obviously irrelevant, since you never actually need to, and I find holding the controller either way to be comfortable.

As for the control stick, the original is FAR more accurate than any of the other control sticks available on the market, and though it dies reasonably often, its so easy to replace (and control sticks are so cheap) I really don't see it as a problem.

[Anonymous No.1357331]

>>1357330
To clarify, I mean other control sticks available for N64 controllers, not control sticks in general

[Anonymous No.1357335]

Having a third of the controller hang off the side with the d-pad and and left shoulder button inaccessible while you use the joystick is sloppy design and dumb.

[Anonymous No.1357345]

It's completely fine to hold and is fine quality, I just have no idea what Nintendo was thinking puting three grips on it. Not that it matters much, almost no games require the dpad

[Anonymous No.1357348]

>>1357330
Despite looking weird as hell the GCN controller is really comfy. You can't deny that the 360 controller is the best ever though

[Anonymous No.1357350]

>>1357348
360 is another one of my favourites, and maybe its because I've played gamecube (and wii) games with the gcn controller so much, but it just feels perfect to me. I can't think of any way it could possibly improved, without trying to sound too weird, its like an extension of your hands when you hold it.

[Anonymous No.1357352]

I like the N64 controller. It feels pretty natural to use since you rarely use the D pad or L button anyways. The only thing I hate about it is the flimsy D-pad. However, I'd have to say that the Gamecube and SNES controller feel more comfy.

[Anonymous No.1357371]

>>1357350
I agree that its amazing to hold, but I think the 360 is just a little bit better. MS somehow found the perfect formula

[Anonymous No.1357375]

>>1357067
For wipeout 64 and f-zero x i really like it but those really are the only titles i played extensively on the system.

[Anonymous No.1357421]

My favourite controllers are the Wii U Gamepad and the SNES controller, with Wiimote + Nunchuk coming in close second. I'd disagree with the comments about the 360 controller but that's because I can't stand the circle D-pad even on the newer ones where you can lower the rest.
My test for D-pads? Tetris Attack and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo.

[Anonymous No.1357425]

>>1357421
I wish the handles on the Wii U gamepad were larger.

[Anonymous No.1357426]

>>1357096
well, it was marketed towards children...

[Anonymous No.1357430]

I find it pretty painful to use. The analog has a way of digging in to your thumb and your whole hand starts hurting after prolonged use because you have to hold your wrist at a weird angle. These days I'm finding the playstation controller getting uncomfortable after a while too because of you having to stretch your index fingers so far to put them on the R and L buttons.

[Anonymous No.1357461]

>>1357348
>>1357350
>>1357371
The thing is, both XB and GC controllers are very impractical for 2D fighting games, because the D-Pad is horrid. The N64 controller is, to this day, the only one where I can play comfortably both fighting games and FPSs.

[Anonymous No.1357479]

>>1357461
I don't think the GC D-pad is *that* bad, though n64 is certainly better

Then again I don't play fighting games so I dunno

[Anonymous No.1357494]

I never understood the whole "I dont have three hands thing"

No games really ever require you use both the dpad AND analog stick. its one or the either so you place your hand accordingly

[Anonymous No.1357504]

Yeah, I quite like the N64 controller.

I liked how it was equally comfortable to play with the analog stick or the d-pad. Its only weakness was the fact that while using the analog, the D-pad and L button was out of reach, so you couldn't really use that as extra buttons easily, except for once-in-a-while actions like the taunt in smash.

[Anonymous No.1357518]

>>1357494
I have had someone make that argument to me, saying it is a terrible design, and later reveal that they had never actually played an n64 game before

[Anonymous No.1357536]

>>1357348
Gamecube is my absolute favorite just because it feels so good to hold and fits so tightly in my hands. I like to hold it when I'm not even playing a game. I'm holding one right now.

[BuckRogers !8WNtYPtUl6 No.1357616]

I love the n64 controller. I don't mind the three handles, I think the sticks and pads are responsive and I can do more with them (like cranking back+right for a tighter turn) than I can with other controllers. The buttons are reasonable and are easy to reach, and it's just another area of skill to be able to reach over to the d-pad or l-button in order to use them.

[Anonymous No.1357639]

I think Nintendo resented how the Playstation controller was fairly similar to the SNES controller and overcompensated to go in a different direction then backpedaled, but it took them all the way until the Wii Classic controllers to backpedal all the way. Not that the GCN controller is bad, exactly but it is weird.

[Anonymous No.1357651]

>>1357639
Should have posted this image of based hori ownzing agin

[Anonymous No.1357656]

As a child, I thought the N64 controller was the best thing ever, I couldn't get used to the Dual-Shock controller ever.

>inb4 fanboy

No fanboyism from my side, I own both N64 and PSone, I just happened to find the control stick in PS1 DS controller somewhat awkward and preffered to play Spyro trilogy, MGS or Mega Man Legends 2 with the D-Pad (although in Legends 2' case, I had the N64 version of Legends and I also played that with the N64 D-Pad).

It hasn't held up well, at all, and most N64 games I can, I rather play with NGC controller via Wii, however I still find it relatively easly to adjust to after a few minutes (which is good, since DK64 never had a VC release).

[Anonymous No.1357657]

>>1357180
So who did all that first? Sony?

[Anonymous No.1357664]

>>1357494
>No games really ever require you use both the dpad AND analog stick.

That's because unfeasible due to the retarded design of the controller.

[Anonymous No.1357668]

>>1357494
>No games really ever require you use both the dpad AND analog stick.

That's because it's unfeasible due to the retarded design of the controller.

[Anonymous No.1357678]

>>1357668
You're right, if only there was some kind of digital pad always within thumb's reach of each hand.

[Anonymous No.1357718]

>delete the middle grip
>bring the left and right grips close enough together that you can reach the stick with either thumb
I'm seriously amazed that Nintendo never figured this shit out by themselves. Hori almost had it, but fucked up by swapping the stick and dpad's positions.

[Anonymous No.1357723]

>>1357718
Except for how way more games use the stick. Hori's design is fundamentally correct. If you took someone who was completely ignorant of the N64, never having seen one before, and asked them which controller was the first party controller and which was a radically redesigned third party controller guess what they would say?

[Anonymous No.1357737]

I never had any problem with it, granted it was my first controller, but I went back between N64, PS1 and SNES with no problems.

Mario Party killed all of my joysticks tho...

[Anonymous No.1357754]

>>1357067

I absolutely love the N64 controller. The stick is not very durable but the controller itself is one of the comfiest best ones I have ever held. In fact i did not know there are people who dislike it until I found this site, also /v/, but they hate everything.
People complaining about the three prongs (hurrdurr for aliens hurr) apparently are as smart as an amoeba if they can't figure out how to handle that thing with their two hands...
imho one of the best controllers ever!

[Anonymous No.1357872]

>>1357330
>The normal complaints of "oh I can't reach the buttons" are obviously irrelevant, since you never actually need to

This is not true, and I'm sick of you N64 controller apologists spewing this bullshit. The only reason you never need to is because developers had to design around the controller's limitations. A well-designed controller allows the user to reach every button conveniently, which in turn allows developers to assign every button a function and create more complex control schemes when necessary.

[Anonymous No.1357879]

>>1357067
>Fact: the joystick is shit.

what was wrong with it? I haven't used one of the fuckers in years, but I don't remember having any trouble.

[Anonymous No.1357925]

>>1357879
They're very poorly made and tend to break easily compared to modern sticks. Also, a lot of people find the shape uncomfortable.

[Anonymous No.1357934]

>>1357067

Garbage compared to the glorious DualShock1. Just like console. PS1 was miles ahead of the N64.

[Anonymous No.1357942]

>>1357934
Go here >>1349445 for console war cointainment thread please.

[Anonymous No.1357956]

>>1357067

I never understood what they were thinking with the C buttons but otherwise yeah it's a very nice piece of hardware

I never had a single problem using it, of any sort

[Anonymous No.1357958]

>>1357096
The only way some one could believe this is if they in fact suck multiple dicks every day.

[Anonymous No.1357961]

>>1357925
>poorly made and break easily
I bet you don't even lube your joystick.
captcha: chafing ctedsig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEJmSQjONRg

[Anonymous No.1357964]

>>1357223

you just have to take a few thousand dollars to Mexico and mod your hand, it's not that hard

[Anonymous No.1358026]

I really like it, and understand how it's supposed to be used. I'm not sure I would defend it though, and the analog stick isn't great. D-pad ain't bad but really underused.

[Anonymous No.1358034]

The d-pad was indeed great, too bad the analogue stick was a piece of crap which died on you every few months.

[Anonymous No.1358036]

>>1357067

I like it. It's easy to use and comfortable. The only issue I had with it was the joystick wearing out after enough use. Retards who say "HURR U NEED 3 ARMSX DDDDDDD" are people that have never actually held it or even played an N64.

[Anonymous No.1358058]

>>1357067
>Fact: the joystick is shit. But the analog stick

the joystick and the analogue stick are the same thing, what are you talking about?

[Anonymous No.1358065]

>>1358058
The stick is shit, but it still set the standard for how 3D controls are done.

[Anonymous No.1358071]

>>1358065

i was just confused by him calling it 2 different things within the space of 4 words, i thought he was referring to two different objects

[Anonymous No.1358410]

>>1357956
The C buttons were meant for camera controls, hence the C.

[Anonymous No.1359087]

>>1357872
But more complex control schemes aren't necessary, why bother having the option to have both a D-pad and a control stick when it isn't needed? As someone has already said, D-pad is used for 2D, control stick for 3D, and that works just fine.

Very few N64 games would have benefited from having both the control stick and D-pad usable at the same time.

[Anonymous No.1359171]

>>1359087
>Goldeneye
>Perfect Dark
>Turok
>not benefiting hugely from a conventional control scheme
The C-buttons are too imprecise to be useful for camera control, and too uncomfortable for movement controls. Using the dpad for movement and the stick for camera would make shooter controls a lot more intuitive for players who are already used to playing with a keyboard and mouse.

[Anonymous No.1359172]

>>1359171
>The C-buttons are...too uncomfortable for movement controls.

Not if you're left-handed. As badly designed as the N64 controller is, it's the only controller that does southpaw controls well.

[Anonymous No.1359176]

>>1359087
Every shooter would have been better that way. Free look with stick, movement with pad.

I remember the dpad kind of sucking though. Definitely not good compared to the SNES or Genesis one.

[Anonymous No.1359191]

>>1359171
>>1359176
>shooters on anything but PC
who even cares

[Anonymous No.1359192]

>>1359191
People who had friends and wanted to play split screen multiplayer shooters with them.

[Anonymous No.1359201]

>>1359192
>not having LAN parties

[Anonymous No.1359204]

It was a beautiful controller for its time. No other system contained a joystick that was crafted as well as the n64.

It's true that they wore down quickly, and it's true that other systems had joysticks before it.

But the N64 controller was the first that strongly enhanced gameplay and forced it to become a staple later on.

The same can be said of the Rumble Pak (not best by today's standards, but so good it became a given on all systems)

[Anonymous No.1359212]

>>1357536

[Anonymous No.1359259]

>>1357067
>the D-Pad was great
It feels uncomfortable to hold the controller that way.

[Anonymous No.1359681]

[Leafhopper No.1359707]

>>1359681
>that Glove controller

Never seen that thing before what the hell. SuperPad Plus is actually pretty good. I think we had one.

>>1359259
That maybe true, it took some getting used to but the actual quality of the D-Pad was really good.

[Anonymous No.1359712]

>>1359707
The glove controller was a controller was only used in/sold to hospitals iirc

[Anonymous No.1359718]

>>1359681
Is the Mini Pad Hori really as good as people say?

[Anonymous No.1359721]

>>1359718
It has a gamecube analog stick.

[Leafhopper No.1359723]

>>1359718
My friend had one but I didnt get to use it. However that analog stick looks comfy.

[Anonymous No.1359724]

>>1359712
No, it was a commercial product. There's a boxed one sitting at my local retro game store and I have the Playstation version. I was actually pretty good at Tekken with it since it lets you multi-finger the buttons and use the d-pad with your thumb. You don't have to hold anything because it's strapped on so, in some ways, it's a better one handed controller than the ASCII Grip. On the other hand, I'm much less likely to want to play an action game while doing something with my other hand than an RPG or adventure game and the glove only works on your right hand. Also, that weird wrist motion analog control never felt right.

[Anonymous No.1359729]

>Implying this wasn't the GOAT N64 controller

[Leafhopper No.1359735]

>>1359724
That sounds like an experience.

[Anonymous No.1359757]

>>1359707
I hated my SuperPad Plus. The control stick input would randomly freak out and I'd have to fight it until it stops. I took it apart and couldn't find anything wrong. We nicknamed it Twitch and I'd use it as a handicap.

[Anonymous No.1359775]

>>1359729

That is one sexy beast.

[Anonymous No.1359806]

The N64 controller is horrible, one of the reasons why I don't play with my N64 anymore and just emulate. Wish someone would have successfully sued nintendo for selling Mario Party and N64 controllers at the same time.

I remember playing Ocarina of Time on the gamecube, it was comfortable as fuck compared to my N64 experience.

[Anonymous No.1359825]

>>1357313
I second this. I hate playing it on my 3ds. The analog nub on that is terrible, even more so than the PSP one due to being even more slippery.

Wish someone would realize that analog slider pads in general are awful, and make a recessed stick setup similar to the NGPC only analog. That was an amazing input method.

[Anonymous No.1359831]

>>1357067
>i didn't abuse them

so you mean you didnt play mario party?

[Anonymous No.1359840]

>>1359825
The 3DS slidepad isn't worse than the crap the PSP has but I agree that it's shit.

[Anonymous No.1359843]

>>1359681
I had a Super Pad (just felt like a chunkier Nintendo N64 controller) and a Super Pad Plus (which felt horrible).

>>1359840
The rubber on it isn't grippy enough I've found, and it has too much resistance. This makes it frustrating to use for extended periods, because you're always having to try to prevent your thumb from slipping off it. At least, that's been my experience.

The rough surface of the PSP nub makes it grip a bit better, but it's smaller and thus just as annoying to use. I only notice it less because it isn't the primary input for the PSP, the D-pad is. With the 3DS being the other way around, we're forced to use it a lot more often.

[Anonymous No.1359848]

>>1359831

>Bowser Minigame for 30 damn coins
>Motherfucking Tug o' war

OH SHIT NIGGA IT IS ON LIKE DONKEY KONG!

[Anonymous No.1359852]

>>1357754
It's not that we can't figure it out, it's just uncomfortable as fuck to do so. The design is just plain bad compared to what could have been. I like playing N64, even with the original controller, but it could have been much better.

your fanboyism is showing

[Anonymous No.1359857]

>>1357067

[Anonymous No.1359861]

>>1359843
The thumb wants to get inside the bed. The PSP nub is small and in my opinion more slippery because of the outside rounded shape. The major downside for me is that both don't have the areal freedom that normal sticks have, you get stuck way to fast going in one direction. I still remember that it felt great going from PSP monster hunter to 3DS monster hunter because the controls were far more comfortable. I love the PSP way more than the 3DS but the nub is complete shit.

[Anonymous No.1359876]

>>1359861
That's why I'm saying that they should use an adaptation of the NGPC's control. That nub isn't a slider, it's an actual stick recessed into the unit. It tilts as you move it, which makes it way easier to keep your thumb on even though it doesn't have a rough or rubberized surface. Of course, the NGPCs one was digital, so they'd have to make it analog instead, but its such a nice setup I'm amazed nobody else has tried it. Maybe SNK still holds a copyright to the entire concept of recessed-stick directional controls or something.

[Anonymous No.1359905]

>>1359876
Is there a good replacement for the 3DS and PSP nub?
It shouldn't be too hard.

[Anonymous No.1359921]

>>1357067
I like the N64 controller. only bad thing about it was the joystick was really stiff and wore out over time to the point where you can't play games like zelda, bomberman hero, or mystical ninja cause your character is walking around the whole world and can't make certain jumps.

[Anonymous No.1359924]

>>1359857

mario party and super smash brothers burned through more of my analogue sticks than I care to remember.

[Anonymous No.1359930]

>>1359857
Was this a marketing scheme to sell more controllers?

[Anonymous No.1359940]

>>1359930

I don't think they were in a hurry to improve the sticks, I bet they were selling three times as many.

I ended up even getting a brand new set of four for christmas one year near the end of the generation too, because my parents realized how bad mine had gotten.

[Anonymous No.1359947]

>>1357067

I like the joystick other than the fact it gets worn out pretty easily. A, B, and Z I find very comfortable and work well for me. The D-pad feels a little stiff compared to the SNES previous. I am not a fan of the C-Buttons but they didn't bother me all that much. R and L are okay.

The shape of the controller honestly isn't that bad. I do feel like when you switch to using the D-Pad you feel the weight of the middle a bit too much. It wasn't uncomfortable but neither did it feel as light and well fitting as the NES or SNES or even the Gamecube controller did.

Aesthetically it's a mixed bag for me. In one aspect it looks like a bad ass futuristic space fighter. On the other it just looks so oddly designed and there is too much space and material which seems excessive and unnecessary for the components it's meant to hold. Like if the distance between the D-Pad, Joystick, and A+B buttons were just a little closer it's be fine.

The wire on the standard model has a decent length. Not too short but not very long either.

Overall I'd say it is better than average. I've handled a lot of shit controllers though.

[Anonymous No.1359965]

I love this controller. It had a d-pad that no one wanted or used, and everything else you could have asked for in a controller. I think the N64 controller is exemplary of Nintendo's foresight. There are 6 buttons for figtingin games, left and right triggers, a way to hold the analog stick and the dpad as the left side of a controller (remember, this is before sony had a dual shock controller). No one had done a single analog stick let alone 2 analog sticks.

It made complete sense to me to play fps with fire on z, moves on stick, look/strafe on c, and zoom/aim on R. Not all of us had PCs to bitch about mouse controls for.

[Anonymous No.1359973]

>>1359965

yo the 2600 had a stick

[Anonymous No.1359978]

>>1359930
Nintendo gave out free gloves to everyone after that so probably not. I really wonder how much they tested those minigames though.

[Anonymous No.1360395]

I don't think there will ever be another controller as perfect as the NES controller.

[Anonymous No.1360580]

>>1360395
SNES controller was better.

More buttons, more comfortable in your hand.

That Genesis controller version with the 6 face buttons and shoulder buttons was pretty nice too, though not being the standard meant that most games didn't use them properly.

[Anonymous No.1360582]

>>1360580
>Genesis
>shoulder buttons
u w0t m8

[Anonymous No.1360587]

>>1360580
Most games don't really need 6 buttons, though. There are very few games that only use 3 but feel like they need 6. Obviously, it would have been better to have a 6-button controller from the start, but they were competing against the NES/TG16 at the time. It sure would have made their controller port protocol a hell of a lot cleaner. Goddamn, writing proper 6b support (not to mention two different kinds of multi-tap, the mouse, etc) is a pain in the ass. Supposedly the SNES can poll everything for you in hardware and just give you a register with the buttons in it.


(Also, it's meant to be like a City control panel.)

[Anonymous No.1360603]

>>1360582
>>1360587
Never mind, I was getting my pads mixed up. There was a 6-button official one, and this was the shoulder button one a friend of mine had that I was thinking of.

[Anonymous No.1360610]

>>1360603
Also, I still have one of these babies laying around, though it was in a house fire and I have yet to fully clean all the soot off it. No damage, though.

[Anonymous No.1360624]

>>1360610
These are my favorite SNES controllers. I just wish the cord wasnt so god damn short

[Anonymous No.1360672]

>>1360580
>SNES controller
>more comfortable in your hand.

Well, it was meant for children, so I guess it's more comfortable for their hands. But I always found it way too tiny and flimsy.

[Anonymous No.1360706]

>>1360672
Compared to the NES controller though? The rounded edges alone make it more comfortable.

I mean, compared to modern controllers, it's still not great. But for its time it was.